He said the Chaps had a great practice the day before and the team’s attitude was good up until tip-off.

After tip-off, everything swung in the Texans’ favor and the Chaps did not respond very well in a 76-57 loss, which snapped a 12-game winning streak for MC.

“We were a step behind on everything,” Dreiling said. “I just felt (the Texans) were the aggressors from the jump. Obviously we played from behind the entire game, but hopefully we’ll learn from it and we were humbled by it. We’ve been working on what we didn’t do well in the first game. For the first time this season we were out-rebounded and we turned the ball over too much.”

Dreiling said the inexperience that most of the players had of not playing in a tough conference environment played a factor in how the Chaps played on Wednesday.

Sophomore guard Daeshon Francis, who played at Wisconsin-Green Bay last season, was one of the few who understood what playing in a tough conference environment and he responded with a 30-point night.

“Guys have heard this conference is tough but they haven’t seen it,” Dreiling said. “Even with the three returners that we have, they didn’t play much last year. Now this team has seen it as a whole. Daeshon had a good game, but we didn’t have other guys rise to the challenge with him. We’re going to hold guys accountable to that and I think you’re going to see a much different attitude on the floor (today).”

HOME SWEET HOME: Because Dreiling could not find any team of note to come to Midland, the Chaparrals hit the road for their first 14 games.

During that time, the team built on their camaraderie and showed potential with some key wins against No. 19 Indian Hills (96-83) and No. 23 Seward County (93-89).

But Dreiling and the Chaps are now anxious to get on their home court and try to shake off Wednesday’s humiliating loss.

“We were embarrassed by the product we put on the floor on Wednesday,” Dreiling said. “We were so embarrassed by it that we wished we could have played Thursday. We’re excited to play here, excited to protect our home court. The guys have been talking about that for a long time. Hopefully, we learned a lot on the road and I would be real surprised if we take Clarendon lightly.”

LADY CHAPS GAINING RESPECT: The Lady Chaps will be playing in only their second game as the No. 11-ranked team in NJCAA Division I women’s basketball poll.

Since losing 74-54 to No. 1-ranked Salt Lake Community College in the championship game of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament at Chaparral Center, MC has won its last four games, including a come-from-behind 76-57 victory at South Plains College on Wednesday.

“I was just pleased with how we handled ourselves on the road and competed hard the whole game,” said MC coach Ron Jones, whose team faced a 37-32 halftime deficit. “We hit some shots, they missed a few and we were able to separate.

“I told (the Lady Chaps) before we took the floor that we’ve just got to find ways to get a win. It was a good road win.”

LAST GAME BEFORE BREAK: This will be the last game for the Lady Chaps before the holiday break. MC won’t play another game until Jan. 4 against Southwest Texas Junior College at Chaparral Center.

Jones said because six of his players are going through injuries, the break should do his team well.

Today’s games will also be the final ones at Chaparral Center until January as the facility will be going through some maintenance work this month.

Follow Oscar on Twitter: @OLeRoy_MRT

Women

CLARENDON COLLEGE AT NO. 11 MIDLAND COLLEGE

When/where: 2 p.m., Chaparral Center

Records: Midland College 13-2, 1-0 in Western Junior College Athletic Conference; Clarendon College 5-9, 0-1

Last WJCAC game: Midland College 76, South Plains College 57; Howard College 72, Clarendon College 71

Notes & quotes: MC coach Ron Jones said he doesn’t know much about Clarendon, considering that the team has a new coach this season. “From talking to some people, I think they’ve got some decent size and talent. But it’s a new coach and a new system, so it’s hard to game plan,” Jones said. ... Sophomore G Ja’lee Carver leads Clarendon with 14.5 ppg, while sophomore F Amy Alfeld averages 11.5 ppg. ... In the win over South Plains on Wednesday, Lisa Kaempf led MC with 18 points, while Walnatia Wright had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Midland College 76, South Plains College 57; New Mexico Junior College 65, Odessa College 63; Howard College 72, Clarendon College 71; Frank Phillips College and Western Texas College were open

Today’s games

Clarendon College at Midland College; South Plains College at Frank Phillips College; Western Texas College at New Mexico Junior College; Howard College at Cisco College (non-conference); Odessa College is open.

Men

CLARENDON COLLEGE AT MIDLAND COLLEGE

When/where: 3:45 p.m., Chaparral Center

Records: Midland College 12-2, 0-1 in Western Junior College Athletic Conference; Clarendon College 10-2, 1-0

Last WJCAC game: South Plains College 89, Midland College 63; Clarendon College 91, Howard College 86

Notes & quotes: MC coach Jordan Dreiling said he knew Clarendon was a good team but the win over Howard College reaffirmed his belief. “They play together and they’ve got two guys averaging over 20 a night and it seems like everybody is accepting their roles,” said Dreiling about the Bulldogs. ... James Kirksey, a 6-foot-5 freshman G, is averaging 21.3 ppg for the Bulldogs, while 5-11 sophomore G Fa’Teem Glenn is averaging 20.4 ppg. Kevin Pritchard, a 6-3 sophomore G, is chipping in with 16.4 ppg. ... MC looks to improve from shooting 31.3 percent at South Plains on Wednesday, including a 2-for-21 showing from 3-point range. ... Daeshon Francis scored 30 points for MC, while Jachai Simmons added 10 points in the loss to SPC.

South Plains College 89, Midland College 63; Odessa College 93, New Mexico Junior College 67; Clarendon College 91, Howard College 86; Frank Phillips College 81, New Mexico Military Institute 77; Western Texas College is open

Saturday’s games

Clarendon College at Midland College; South Plains College at Frank Phillips College; Western Texas College at New Mexico Junior College; Odessa College at New Mexico Military Institute; Howard College is open